Causes of the First World War Even before the First World War started there has been a difficult and extensive debate about the cause of what became total war. The war broke out in 1914 and peace finally settled in 1919. All throughout the 1900s and at the beginning of the 20th century, Europe was at constant brink of war. As more than a hundred years have passed historians are still discussing the causes of the First World War. It all comes down to what seems a simple question; what or who caused The First World War?
In 1914, the First World War commenced. The outbreak of war was a result of a number of factors, however, many historians argue that German policies were the main feature for the start of the war. Therefore, this essay will address the question: to what extent did German policies lead to WWI? Firstly, it is extremely unjust to state Germany as the only country to blame for the war and make it pay the harsh punishments the Treaty of Versailles forced them to. However, it is reasonable to say that Germany is obviously one of the nations who had the most impact on the War, if not the most.
World War one, also known as the war to end all wars, lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Germany was one of the central powers in World War One. Their biggest enemy was the Allied forces. Throughout the war, many factors such as the failure of Schlieffen Plan and the unrestricted submarine warfare had brought Germany closer and closer to failure in World War one. On 11 November 1918, Germany finally surrendered .They then received a lot of consequences such as the treaty of Versailles.
In just 18 minutes the Lusitania sank killing about 1198 people, 128 of which were Americans.3 The news had hit America and the Americans were enraged and felt sorrow for the innocent that had died. A conspiracy theory was also made, one that said that the British might have had a hand in the sinking of the Lusitania, their purpose for this would be to force America into the war on their side.9 During the war, the Allies and the Triple Entente were in a stalemate for the majority of 1917. The only battle that the Allies had successfully won was the battle of Vimy Ridge. It was obvious that they required
And then a very destructive war broke out in 1914. So the main cause of World War I was the rising militarism in Europe. 2. The "shot heard around the world" is a phrase that represents many historical incidents. These incidents would include the American Revolutionary War and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
They felt like the Allies had forced it upon them. They called it a dictated peace - ‘Diktat’. This was partially true; Germany had been allowed no negotiation and the Allies had given the German government five days to accept the treaty, and if they refused to do so, they threatened to invade Germany and go to war again. Many Germans would have preferred to fight the Allies and for this reason, those who signed the Treaty of Versailles became known as the November Criminals. However, it was clear that they had no choice; Germany was obviously incapable of undergoing more war.
World War 1 was the first large battle among so many countries, including the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria, against the Allies. The Allies consisted of the United Kingdom, the British Empire, France, Russian Empire, the United States, Italy and Japan. The war was all caused because of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was killed on June 28, 1914. It caused extreme amounts of chaos, but after so much fighting, all the people wanted was peace. That’s when the Treaty of Versailles came into play.
Serbia wanted to take over Bosnia and Herzegovina. This assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia and all the events, that i already wrote about in the previous paragraph. In the conclusion, i can say that, World War I was the result of many factors and reasons, but mostly it was foolishness and shortsightedness of the country leaders of the time, that made the war happen. In 1889 Otto von Bismarck talked abut Europe in the future and said that it would be: ‘The nightmare of coalitions’ and hid predictions came true. Essay N.2 Source
In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson released his “Peace Without Victory” around 2 months before the United States declared war on Germany. In it he talked about the role of the US in foreign matter and how the war should go down with discussion and not obliteration of the other side. Both fortunately and unfortunately, his ideas were passed over and the US declared war on the Central Powers. One of the problems (or solution depending on how you see it) addressed the role of the US in Europe and other countries. Wilson saw the US as the “Negotiator” in the middle settling disputes between the countries.
At times, some scenarios make it seem impossible to find an equilibrium. They say that every action has an equal or opposite reaction, but what if that reaction does not match the action committed? Looking back at World War 1, it appears like one of those situations. The biggest and most significant feud in the Great War was between the Allied and Central powers. The Allied Powers consisted of Britain, Russia, and France while the Central powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.